Former Pows Revere The Fourth As Symbol Of Freedom

''It means honoring our freedom and independence, something I lost 43 years ago,'' he said.

Mickelson, 68, was a prisoner of war. He said he learned about liberty when he lost it inside the gates of a German prison camp.

''I'll never forget that day. It was April 16, 1943. I was on a routine flight to France when our gunner said that a Spitfire, an English fighter, was about to join the formation.''

The pilot or gunner was wrong. The plane was not a Spitfire, it was a German fighter. ''We were hit . . . The next thing I knew I was being shipped from one prison camp to another and that's when you realize that freedom's not free,'' Mickelson said.

Ed Ganzekaufer of Winter Park also knows the price of freedom. He was one of 800 U.S. Army soldiers who were paraded down a street in Germany after they were captured during a surprise attack. Although it happened 42 years ago the memory of that experience is still fresh to Ganzekaufer, 71.

''Being held prisoner showed me that there are a lot of things we take for granted in this country,'' Ganzekaufer said. ''We tend to take our freedom lightly instead of realizing that it is a privilege . . . Behind those bars, you have no rights and no privileges.''

Bob Bedell, 65, was an Army Air Corps pilot who also was captured in World War II. While in captivity, he said, he realized why some immigrants come to this country.

We have the right to freedom of religion and the right to get the education of your choice, he said.''You just don't realize what you have until it's gone,'' he said. ''I spent weeks in solitary confinement, learning how to communicate with other inmates by banging on a pipe. I traded my wedding ring for a loaf of bread, others did the same for water. I came to respect our flag and what it stood for more than I ever had before and to this day when I travel to Europe and see an American flag I feel good, I feel proud, and I feel I'm seeing part of home.''

Bedell, Ganzekaufer and Mickelson are active in the Central Florida Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War. It is part of a national organization dedicated to helping veterans and their families. The Central Florida group has 150 members. They say about 5,000 former POWs live in Florida.

Members meet monthly just to talk or participate in family programs such as picnics and camping trips.

''It's the companionship, having someone to lean on and having that common denominator that makes this a very close group,'' said Mickelson's wife, Frieda. ''It has made a difference in all of our lives.''

Mickelson said the group helps its members cope with their experiences ''and share their future goals with others who understand.''

''The next time you look at those Fourth of July fireworks remember this,'' Mickelson said. ''Those fireworks are an indigenous symbol of the gunfire used to maintain peace, to maintain liberty and that's all we want now, that's what we've worked hard for -- peace and liberty.''